1
as in controllers
a mechanism for adjusting the operation of a device, machine, or system
the controls for the player are well marked
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in hands
the ability to direct the course of something
after the tail fell off, the plane went out of the pilot's control firefighters keeping control of the blaze
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in operations
the act or activity of looking after and making decisions about something
control of manufacturing operations was given to a new manager with fresh ideas
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in powers
the right or means to command or control others
teachers are responsible for the students under their control
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in regulates
to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression)
you must learn to control your temper
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in contains
to gain emotional or mental control of
he controlled himself only with the greatest difficulty in the face of his opponent's insulting remarks
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in rules
to exercise authority or power over
circumstances often control the choices we make in life
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in operates
to look after and make decisions about
during the period that she controlled the company it was highly profitable
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of controls
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
By nature of Darwinism, insects resistant to certain controls often breed and multiply in a garden, passing on that resistance as a genetic trait.
—Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 20 June 2026
Rather than dealing with the dynamics driving away wealth, Xi Jinping’s totalitarian regime is imposing stringent new controls on buying stocks, real estate and insurance policies overseas.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 20 June 2026
Immediate steps were taken to strengthen access controls for customer profile data, and additional security features will be added in the future.
—Doug Myers, CBS News, 20 June 2026
Encryption, strict access controls, medical-grade testing and clear update policies should be baked in from day one.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2026
With these export controls, it has now also been deemed too dangerous for foreign use.
—Richard Hall, Time, 13 June 2026
The move comes after Anthropic’s receipt of a US Commerce Department directive Friday evening, subjecting the new models to export controls restricting their use anywhere outside the United States.
—ArsTechnica, 13 June 2026
Flight controls weren't an issue for some, though.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 13 June 2026
Ken Silverstein, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and now first-ever trillionaire, controls a lot of different businesses.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2026
Elon Musk, the world's richest man and now first-ever trillionaire, controls a lot of different businesses.
—ABC News, 12 June 2026
Anthropic now controls half of that category.
—Ashley Capoot,cj Haddad,samantha Subin,lora Kolodny, CNBC, 12 June 2026
The parasympathetic nervous system is the part of your autonomic nervous system that controls involuntary bodily functions.
—Mélanie Defouilloy, Vogue, 6 June 2026
Trump still controls much of the Kennedy Center.
—Janay Kingsberry, The Atlantic, 6 June 2026
Down below sit the foot controls that peek through all that bodywork.
—Utkarsh Sood
june 05, New Atlas, 5 June 2026
Apparently salary controls for athletes are responsible governance.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 June 2026
Noun
Human actions, from discovering a breakthrough to inadvertently blocking an explosion with controls, could profoundly shape AGI/ASI's arrival, highlighting the deep mystery surrounding its future development.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
By nature of Darwinism, insects resistant to certain controls often breed and multiply in a garden, passing on that resistance as a genetic trait.
—Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 20 June 2026
Rather than dealing with the dynamics driving away wealth, Xi Jinping’s totalitarian regime is imposing stringent new controls on buying stocks, real estate and insurance policies overseas.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 20 June 2026
Immediate steps were taken to strengthen access controls for customer profile data, and additional security features will be added in the future.
—Doug Myers, CBS News, 20 June 2026
Encryption, strict access controls, medical-grade testing and clear update policies should be baked in from day one.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2026
With these export controls, it has now also been deemed too dangerous for foreign use.
—Richard Hall, Time, 13 June 2026
The move comes after Anthropic’s receipt of a US Commerce Department directive Friday evening, subjecting the new models to export controls restricting their use anywhere outside the United States.
—ArsTechnica, 13 June 2026
Flight controls weren't an issue for some, though.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 13 June 2026
Verb
Whoever controls those constraints—chips, electricity, grid capacity, and digital infrastructure—will have disproportionate influence over global growth.
—Ken Silverstein, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and now first-ever trillionaire, controls a lot of different businesses.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2026
Elon Musk, the world's richest man and now first-ever trillionaire, controls a lot of different businesses.
—ABC News, 12 June 2026
Anthropic now controls half of that category.
—Ashley Capoot,cj Haddad,samantha Subin,lora Kolodny, CNBC, 12 June 2026
The parasympathetic nervous system is the part of your autonomic nervous system that controls involuntary bodily functions.
—Mélanie Defouilloy, Vogue, 6 June 2026
Trump still controls much of the Kennedy Center.
—Janay Kingsberry, The Atlantic, 6 June 2026
Down below sit the foot controls that peek through all that bodywork.
—Utkarsh Sood
june 05, New Atlas, 5 June 2026
Apparently salary controls for athletes are responsible governance.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controls
Noun
-
With the headset comes two controllers that feel like the handle of a gun.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
Mission controllers spent months attempting to restore contact, including sending commands designed to reboot the spacecraft's computers, but MAVEN remained silent.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
If that happens, remove the safety clip, hold the can with both hands, and prepare to spray when the bear is roughly 30 to 40 feet away.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
-
While Zendaya, 29, sported a simple gold band on her ring finger, Holland's hands were bare.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Humble Robotics has not yet applied for a California DMV autonomous vehicle permit and was originally planning testing operations in Texas.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
-
In a statement to CNN, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, the military branch which runs its drone operations, said that over the past year the number of mid-range strike missions had risen 28-fold.—
Gianluca Mezzofiore,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
The move means the rest of the AI industry will be forced to take heed of the authority asserted by Lutnick, and BIS can invoke other powers if the specific provisions used against Anthropic are contested.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
19 June 2026
-
In an attempt to regain her powers, Lucia accidentally summons a cosmic entity known as Altair.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine engineered the harmless eye-dwelling microbe Corynebacterium mastitidis to secrete interleukin-10 (IL-10), a protein that regulates inflammation and supports wound healing.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
-
How the Living Eye Drops Work The Pitt team engineered Corynebacterium mastitidis, a benign microbe that already resides under the eyelid, to continuously secrete interleukin-10 (IL-10), a small protein that regulates inflammation.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
It is widely accepted that a teaspoon of productive soil generally contains between 100 million and one billion bacteria, thus the name and rallying cry of the Forum.—
Louise Schiavone,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
The final film contains 82 minutes of score.—
Jon Burlingame,
Variety,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Judge rules Brad Raffensperger doesn’t have to let anyone watch his office compile results on election night.—
Adam Beam,
AJC.com,
15 June 2026
-
For the first time in 53 years, New York rules the NBA.—
Tim Reynolds,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
The company also operates skydiving companies out of Indianapolis and Rock County, Wisconsin.—
Ben Wheeler,
Kansas City Star,
15 June 2026
-
Those economics become even more challenging because publishing still operates on a returns system that dates back to the Great Depression.—
Josh Rivera,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Controls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controls. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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